*THank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. thank-you all so much!
"How are you doing?" asks Dean as he comes back into my hospital room.
"All right," I say, "Did Roman leave?"
"Yeah. I told him to," he says. "He's only here to cause problems and you do not need that stress right now. I'm not going to sit back anymore and watch him insult you, treat you badly and bring you to the point that you miscarry one of our babies. What he's doing isn't right. He claims he loves you and wants you back but if he truly loved you and truly wanted you back he would not be putting you through all that he is. I'm not sitting back anymore, Tayla. He is trying to take MY kids from me. The only thing he has on his side is the law. I have genetics on my side. Those babies are mine and he can try to get visitation and rights but he never will because as soon as they are born there will be a paternity test done and we will see that I am the father and he can go on."
"I know," I say, "sit down, Dean." I motion for him to sit next to me in the hospital bed. He walks over and climbs into the small hospital bed next to me. "How are you doing?"
"What do you mean how am I doing?" he asks.
"We never really did talk about losing one of the babies. How do you feel about that?"
"I don't know. It hurts to think that something I created was taken away from me because of someone's own selfish needs and desires. I mean as scared as I would have been if we found out it was triplets I still would have liked to try to be a father to them. I don't know, Tay. It's crazy how much you can love something that you've never met or something so small. Today gave me a reason to love these two babies even more. I mean we are lucky that we still have two healthy and strong babies in there but it sucks that we lost one." He takes his hand into mine and interlocks our fingers. "How do you feel about it? Are you okay?"
"I've lost so many babies that I've gotten numb to the pain of losing them. I hate that we lost a baby because it's not fair but I have also learned things happen for a reason. Maybe we weren't meant to have that baby. Maybe we weren't meant to have triplets I don't know. I don't' want to question it or think about it. I want to focus on the two babies we still have and the two babies we're going to have. There's a reason for everything. We're lucky to still have those two."
"I hear you," he says as he kisses my hand softly. "I don't even know how life is going to go now. I have that excitement fear feeling in my body right now. Can we handle twins? I might have to cut back on wrestling a little at first."
"I have that same feeling," I say, "Maybe that's why we aren't having triplets because we can only handle two babies. You are never given more than you can handle. I think with two we will have our hands full."
"Me too," he says with a smile. "But twins, Tay, I never expected that. I want to give them the best. I want them to have everything they deserve. Everything they desire. I never want them to want or need anything. I want to give them the entire world. I want to give them everything. I want them to have a nice house to grow up in, a nice backyard, two parents that love each other and a really nice environment."
"I want them to have the world also," I say with a smile. "You're really passionate about giving them a good life aren't you?"
"Yes, Tay, it's important to me. I didn't have a good childhood. I was living in and out of public housing. I had a rough childhood. It wasn't all rainbows and lollipops."
"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask.
"I don't think I'm ready to talk about it. Just know it sucked and I want better for my kids. That's why this whole 'they are mine because she is my wife' thing needs to stop. I don't want that for them. I just want them to see you and me happy together. I don't want them being passed around to someone that isn't their father and someone that is their mother. I don't want that. I am going to give them the best life they ever had. I'm going to take them to Disneyworld. I have always wanted to go there."
"You've never been to Disneyworld?"
"Never I was poor, Tay, if I lived in public housing how do you think I got to go to Disneyworld?"
"I don't' know," I say, "Sorry."
"It's okay. I had a rough life and I will never give that to my kids. That's another reason I am so scared to have kids. What if I fail at being their dad? What if I lose my job? I don't have anything to fall back on. Wrestling is my life. It's the only thing I have going for me. If I lose that I have nothing to provide for you and the kids. Then what? They have to live a life that I lived? I don't' think I could ever do that to them or you. It's a fear that settles in the back of my mind. When it was just me it didn't bother me that much but now that I have a family; we have a family it's always there. I never had a family before, Tay. I used to have to fight on the streets to survive growing up. I ate stale bread and bologna. That's what I grew up on. I didn't have these 5 course meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I got what I got and that was that. There were days I went without eating. Have you ever eaten government cheese?"
"No," I say. My heart hurts for him. He's finally opening up more to me about his childhood and what it was like. He has always been so secretive about it. I just want to hold him as I see the tears forming in his eyes.
"It's not good but it wasn't horrible. I watched my mom get beat up constantly. My mom had such a rough life. She tried her best but it just didn't work out that way. I mean she did what she could to provide for us but it wasn't much. I got my ass kicked every day. My mom abused me when she got upset, my dad kicked me around when he was actually around. I had other kids kicking me around. I learned to fight by the time I was 8. I was lucky when I got to school but my mom never really made the effort. I didn't care either. They passed me through school just to get rid of me because I raised too much hell in the classroom. The teachers hated me and just wanted to get rid of me. I taught myself how to read because the school never really helped me with that. Tay, I'm not a smart guy. I'm not a genius. I have no high school diploma. I can barely spell the simplest words but I know how to love. I never want that for our kids, Tay," he says as he breaks down into tears. "Just knowing I'm going to be a father," he says as I turn my body to face him. I wrap my arm around him, place my arm over his chest and hold him tightly as I feel his chest choke on the sobs. "Makes me want to be a better person. I'm an asshole. I know I am."
"You're not an asshole, Dean," I say. "You're not an asshole. You're just misunderstood. I love you no matter what. I don't care if you're a genius or not. I don't care if you're the smartest guy in the world or not. You have a good heart and that's what matters to me. I'm sorry you had such a rough childhood and I wish I could go back and change that for you but everyone's past shapes them into the person they are today. I like who you are, Dean. I can't imagine everything that you faced and went through back then but you're not that little kid anymore. You're not vulnerable. You have a girlfriend that loves you very much and I know you've been asking and I'm going to answer your question right now."
"Yeah?" he says as I feel him kiss the top of my head.
"I will marry you, Dean. I will be your wife when you're ready for me to be. I love you so much, Dean. I will always love you. I mean I'm scared to get married again after everything I am going through with Roman but I know you would never hurt me like he did. I love you, Baby and if you want a family for our kids then we'll give them a family the right way."
"Tay," he says as he is still crying from his childhood confession. "I just want to live life the right way with you. I do want to give our kids a family the right way. And you have every right to be scared to get married again but know I would NEVER hurt you like Roman did. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. You're one of the few people in this world that see more in me than the little crazy factor inside of me but you see the good. I'm not a bad guy, Tay."
"I know you're not," I say with a smile. "Look at me." He looks at me with his blue eyes filled with tears. I reach up and wipe his tears away. "No matter what happens, Dean these babies are yours and they will always be yours. I will never hurt you either. I love you too much. You and I are going to be very happy together. I promise."
"I love you, Tay," he says with a soft smile before I kiss his lips softly as I feel his hand on my stomach. "And I love them."
"I know, Baby," I say, "and I know you're going to be an amazing father." I say before we share another passionate kiss. This man has been through hell in his life and I will make sure he doesn't go through it again. I never thought I could love anyone more than I loved Roman but the love I have for Dean is magnified by 100%. The more I learn about him and the more time I spend with him the more I love him. "Do you want us to move out of the house?"
"I don't know where we would go. I gave up my apartment. Do you want to move out?"
"I just want to be away from Roman for good. I'm just so sick of him. He is really showing me who he was this whole time. It's like I never really knew him at all if that makes sense."
"Yeah," he says. "People change if you want to move out we can get our own house. I can buy you a house. I'll buy you your dream house. Could you really live in that house with all the memories that you had with Roman in it?"
"Not really," I say. "I'll give up the house but I am still going after half of his earnings while we were married."
"If that's what you want to do then do it," he says. "I just don't think this whole thing is worth it. You don't need that money. I make just as much as he does. We don't need it baby."
"I don't need the stress. I'm not going after anything. He can have the house, the money whatever but that's it. I'm not going after anything. I just want to get this over and done with. It isn't worth the stress or losing one of the babies."
"It's not," he says. "I'll take care of you, Tay," he says with a smile. "You won't have to want or need anything either."
"Dean, don't make the same mistakes Roman did. I don't' want materialistic things. I want love. I want you to love me and respect me. As long as you love me endlessly I'll be happy."
"I love you," he says with a soft smile before he kisses my lips again. "We're going to be happy."
ROMAN's POINT OF VIEW:
"How is everything going with Tayla?" asks my mom Joanne as she is sitting in the living room with me.
"It's all gone to hell, Mom," I say, "I lost her. She's not coming back."
"There isn't really anything you can do."
"But I love her, Mom. I really do love her but she fails to see that."
"In all honesty you didn't really show her that you loved her. You cheated on her with your adoption counselor. That had to be a blow to her. I mean you found this adoption counselor to help build up your family but instead she ended up tearing your family apart. Was it worth it, Roman?"
"No," I say. "It wasn't worth it at all. I feel so alone without Tayla. I want her to come back to me. I want to hold her at night again. I want to make love to her again. I want her to be my wife again. I just want what we had back."
"Roman," she says, "you're never going to get that back."
"I can try."
"No, Roman, you've tried hard enough and she hasn't come back yet has she? It's been over 6 months. If she wanted to come back she would have come back but she hasn't. She doesn't want to and you can't bully her into coming back."
"And this whole divorce thing is tougher than I thought. I mean she wants my money pre-marriage."
"That's not her money to take," she says, "but if there was no pre-nup she is entitled to it. I like Tayla, Roman. I always did like her. I still do like her. I'm not taking sides but you need to let her go and let her be happy. Dean makes her happy so let her be happy stop trying to take away her happiness. You can be happy too if you just stop chasing Tayla."
"I will never love anyone as much as I love Tayla."
"You would be surprised," she says.
"And she's pregnant. I'm trying to get custody of the babies."
"They aren't yours, Roman."
"By law they are," I say.
"By law but you didn't make them with her. Dean and her created those babies. I know you don't like what I'm telling you and you don't like what I'm saying but it's the truth, Ro. You have got to respect her. Do you love her?"
"Yes," I say.
"Then let her go and let her be happy. If you're still fighting with her and delaying the divorce process it's only going to make her resent you. You're just pushing her away. You two need to sit down alone and talk things out. Discuss what you want from the divorce and discuss what she wants from the divorce and make it as civil as possible. I thought you two were going to be friends?"
"That isn't working out too well," I say. "Her and Dean moved in here with me."
"It's her house too," she says, "she has every right but I think that it's pretty childish. What's it going to do? It's just going to create problems between you and her. Just give her the house, Roman. Just let her have it. You don't need it."
"I don't want to give up the house."
"You don't want to give up anything which is why there is such an issue now. I'm going to be honest with you, Roman. I think it's time that you moved on. Go out there and find a woman that will love you and one that you will love. You and Tayla had your time together. You had a good run but people fall out of love. You could find a woman who will make you happy. You can be happy too. How does it feel chasing Tayla and her not coming back?"
"It hurts," I say.
"So stop doing it and see what else is out there. I'm sure you can find a beautiful woman that will love you just as much as she did."
"All right," I say. "I'll try but Tayla was the love of my life."
"Roman," she says. "Move on."
"All right," I say. I get up and walk out of the living room. I pull out my cell phone and dial a number.
"Hello," says the female voice on the other end.
"Hey, Vanessa, it's Roman."
"Hey," she says as I can hear her smile through the phone. "How are you?"
"I'm okay. How about you?" I ask with a smile as I picture this beautiful woman with her long dark hair, her dark brown eyes and her beautiful tan skin.
"I'm good," she says, "Did you want to set up another appointment about adoption?"
"No my wife and I are getting a divorce."
"I'm sorry," she says with sympathy in her voice. "How is that going?"
"It's going okay," I say, "I'm actually calling to see if you would like to go out on a date?"
"I would love to," she says. "I'm free whenever you are."
"Wonderful," I say. "I go out on the road in a couple days but I should be back by next Wednesday. Would you be able to go out then?"
"That sounds perfect," she says.
"Great," I say. "I'll see you next Wednesday."
"See you next Wednesday," she says with a smile.
"I'll let you go and get back to work. Have a good day, Vanessa."
"You too," she says. "Bye."
"Bye," I say before I hang up the phone with a smile. If Tayla can be with another man; I can be with another woman. Maybe this might make her come back.
*A/N: What did you think of Dean and TAyla in the hospital room? What did you think about Dean opening up to Tayla about his childhood? Does this mean he's starting to trust her more? And do you believe he is going to do everything he can to make sure his kids have the life he never did? What about Tay telling him she would marry him when he wanted to make her his wife? Are you surprised Tay is giving up the fight with Roman or do you see that she just doesn't care anymore and wants to be happy with Dean? What did you think about Roman's mom telling him to move on? What about him asking Vanessa out on the date? Is he using this to get Tayla back or hoping that it brings her back? Do you think Tayla will cave when she sees him with Vanessa? Also what is going to happen when she sees Vanessa face to face? Please review and thank-you for reading.